Appurtenant easements (run with the land):
• Dominant tenement: the property that BENEFITS from the easement (e.g., the landlocked parcel that has an access easement across the neighbor's land)
• Servient tenement: the property that BEARS the easement (the neighbor's land the access crosses)
Appurtenant easements transfer automatically with the sale of either property — the buyer of the servient property is bound by the easement even if they didn't know about it (which is why the title search matters)

Easements in gross (not tied to adjacent land):
• Utility easements: the most common type; electric, gas, cable, and water companies hold recorded rights to maintain lines and equipment on or under your property
• Railroad right-of-way: often very old, sometimes stretching across multiple properties, and fully enforceable even if the rail line is inactive

By creation method:
• Express easement: created by written instrument, recorded in deed records
• Implied easement: arises from prior use of the land before it was divided
• Prescriptive easement: created by open, continuous, hostile use for a statutory period (like adverse possession but for use rights) — the neighbor who has used your driveway for 20 years may have a prescriptive easement regardless of any agreement
• Easement by necessity: a landlocked parcel has a legal easement for access across adjacent land even without a written instrument

Easements affect value in two ways: restriction of use and proximity effects.

Restriction of use: an easement typically prohibits the property owner from building permanent structures in the easement zone. A 30-foot drainage easement running through the back third of a lot prevents a pool, addition, or accessory structure in that zone. A 60-foot utility corridor prevents most improvements in the corridor. Buyers who plan to build on or develop a specific portion of a property must check for easements before purchasing.

Proximity and corridor effects (from documented research):
• High-voltage transmission line corridor: studies document value reductions of 2-9% for properties adjacent to or under transmission lines; visible lines and substation proximity run toward the high end
• Drainage easement covering significant lot area: reduces usable land; market-by-market impact
• Conservation easement: permanently restricts development; can reduce value 10-40% depending on restrictions, though it often carries significant tax benefits
• View easement (protects a neighbor's view from obstruction): restricts height of structures; typically modest value impact on the burdened property

The key point: none of these appear on a listing sheet. They appear in the deed, the title commitment, and the survey — not in the MLS.

Four sources, in order of reliability:

1. The title search and commitment (most complete): your lender orders a title search; the title commitment's Schedule B-I and B-II list all recorded exceptions to clear title, including every recorded easement. Review Schedule B carefully; easements listed as "exceptions" to the policy are encumbrances on your ownership that the title insurer is declining to cover.

2. The survey (most visual): a property survey shows recorded easements graphically — as shaded areas, dashed lines, or labeled corridors. If an existing survey is in the seller's possession, request it. Consider ordering a new survey in any transaction with a large lot, irregular shape, or prior development history.

3. The county recorder/property appraiser: recorded easements are in the deed records. A deed search of the property's chain will reveal easements granted or received. Some county GIS systems show utility easements graphically.

4. Physical inspection: visible power lines over the lot, utility boxes, access roads across the lot, and neighboring improvements that appear to encroach are all physical signals of recorded or unrecorded easements. Raise them with your agent and get them checked against the title.